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Hi Kathleen: I just wanted to wish you a warm welcome and to say I am glad you dropped in on this forum. I personally have found being a member here has provided me with information, support and friendship. I hope you continue to stay involved and look forward to knowing more about you and your situation through your posts.

Hi. I just read the message you posted here. I know I did not say a lot in the post about myself. Well I believe that I had Lupus all my life. I mean I started having symptoms at the 5 years old with mouth ulcers. I would sneeze really badly out in the sun and everyone thought that that was funny. I still have that problem. Well when I was about 10 years old a lot of the other symptoms started to present themselves. I would get deathly sick out in the sun and had constant headaches etc. I was having joint pains and was told that I was only having growing pains. When I was between 14 and 16 I developed a blistery rash on my hands and feet. The rash was mainly on the palms of my hands and fingers and on the soles of my feet and my toes. I tried to see a doctor then, only to be told that I had Eczema. The doctor would perscribe medication for the Eczema and it would not even touch it. While a senior in High School, I was told that I had to leave school as the rash on my hands posed a danger to the faculty and students. I was forced to get a GED. There was no support at all on the homefront. Anyways in my 20's the symptoms got worse and my knees and feet and hands were bothering me terribly. I mean to the point that I could hardly walk. I went to the doctors and asked them to test me for Lupus and well I got ignored and told that I was worrying needlessly. I mean I could not even get anyone to listen to me. Well I got disgusted with the doctors and refused to go again until the symptoms got so bad, and including getting the malar rash, fevers, mouth, nose, eyes and other area ulcers. The rash on my hands and feet was worse then ever. I had nightsweats. I could hardly breath and my heart was not beating right. I also had a bad case of Costal Chondritis. I was 36 when I finally decided that I had to see a doctor or I would die. I finally got a doctor to listen to me and he ran the tests to test for Lupus. All of the tests were pos. I was immediately sent to a Rheumatologist and he told me that I had the most clear cut case of SLE that he had ever seen in all the years of his treating patients. He started me on medication and got me under control. I am still seeing this doctor to this day and that was 11 years ago. I hope that I did not bore you in this post. I know that I tend to ramble sometimes. I guess it is brain fog. Hugs, Kathleen